Spring band



0a. ze, 1948.

A. BENJAMIN SPRING BAND Filed Jan. 5-; 1946 Patented Oct. 26, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING BAND Allen Benjamin, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 5, 1946, Serial No. 639,194

(Cl. 63--5)l 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in expansible hands and particularly to a coiled spring ribbon adapted for use as a wrist band or bracelet.

The wrist band or bracelet of the present invention is fashioned from an expansible ribbon which consists of a strand of shape retaining materiaLsuch as steel Wire, coiled into a continuous suocession of closely related elongated loops. In the manufacture of wrist bands or bracelets the expansible ribbon is cut to desired lengths and the ends of such cut portions are joined together integrally or by means of a name plate, watch casing or other ornamental device. When the expansible ribbon is fashioned into a wrist band or bracelet, the ribbon is disposed in such manner that one of its substantially flat faees lies against the wrist of the wearer and, to avoid undue friction and possible discomfort to the wearer, said face is shaped so that the major portion of such face is maintained out of intimate contact with the wrist. The outwardly disposed face of the bracelet has the same surface configuration as the inwardly disposed face primarily to accentuate the pleasing appearance of the finished article and also to facilitate the fashioning of the wrist hands or bracelets by avoiding the need for determining the inside or outside faces thereof.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a wrist band or bracelet of a novel construction so as to permit the bracelet to expand or contract readily without pinching the wearer or otherwise causing discomfort.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coiled expansible ribbon-like wrist band which has its opposite faces concaved circumferentially.

Another object is to provide a wrist band or the like which is not expensive to manufacture and which may be readily shaped and is highly efiicient in use.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment and the principle thereof and which is considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved wrist band or bracelet, showing portions thereof in broken lines.v

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a fragment of the wrist band or bracelet.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the wrist band portion shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectio-nal detail view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The wrist band shown in the valccomp-anying drawing is fashioned from an expansible springlike ribbon consisting of a succession of elongated loops, preferably formed by the method and apparatus taught in applicant's co-pending application Serial No. 639,195, filed January 5, 1946. The spring-like expansble ribbon is cut to a desired length and the end portions thereof are brought together and joined integrally or as by means of an identification tag or the like, indicated generally at ll in Fig. 1, so as to form an unbroken band of such size as to snugly embrace the wrist of the wearer. Such band may be easily and quickly slipped over the hand of the Wearer due to the resiliency inherent in its construction and it readily adapts itself snugly to wrists of various sizes.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the expansible ribbon consists of a plurality of loops i, each of which is elongated and which lie in a common plane so as to present substantially flat opposed faces and gracefully rounded edges. Each of the loops, which are formed by continuously winding a strand of shape-retaining material, such as for example, steel Wire, about a rotating arbor, includes reaches l3 constituting the elongated opposite sides thereof. The reaches are bowed inwardly from their juncture with the semi-circular end portions M of the loop. This inward bowing of the reaches i3 provides, in the finished wrist band, opposed concave faces, which faces not only materially add to the general appearance of the wrist band as a whole but serve a definite purpose in that the face of the wrist band lying against the wrist of the wearer has but a minimum amount of surface Icontact therewith. It should be obvious that when a wrist band is in place on a wrist only the extreme end portions of the reaches 13 are in direct contact with the wrist while the intermediate bowed portions thereof 'are held spaced therefrom. This minimum surface contact not only minimizes the probability of any discomfort while wearng of the bracelet because of excessive rubbing friction, but further tends to maintain the closely spaced reaches 13 a suificient distance from the surface of the wearer*s wrist so that there is little likelihood of its pinching the skin while being positioned on the wrist.

The ribbon-like wrist band of the present invention also has its outside surface bufied, ground or otherwise actuated upon so as to eliminate the natural round contour of the Wire strand used to fashion the expansible ribbon. In the present instance, a Wire strand that is substantially oil'- cular in cross-section constitutes the material from which the wrist band is fashioned. As best shown in Fig. 4,v a `portion of its o'ircumferential area, which in the present instance is that portion disposed outwardly of Wound loops, is suitably ground away, after Winding, to provide a flat surface area IS. The presence of this fiat area on each of the loops constituting the completed article greatly enhances its over-all appearance due to the creation of planular surfaces having light reflecting characteristics diiferent from that of the round surface areas adiacent thereto. Such grinding also enables the use of round stock without detracting from the appearance Vof the finished article. p

It should be understood that although aspecific form of wrist band has been illustrated in the acoompanying drawing and that the strand illustrated is circular in cross-section, the wrist band of the present invention mai,7 be shaped'otherwise than as shown and further maybe fashioned from a strand having a cross sectional area difierent from that illustrat'ed, such as, for example, from 'fiat or square stock, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the ap- -pended claims.

I elaim:

1. An expansible bra-celet comprising a ribbonlike band fashioned from a single strand of material coiled into a continuous succession of closely related elongated loops with the transversely extending reaches of each of said loops being bowed toward each other and connecting tangentially with substantially semi-cireular portions to provide a -band of less thickness at the longitudinal center than at the edges thereof.

2. An expansible bracelet comprising a helically wound spring, the coils of which are elongated, the elongated portions of said coils being l`bowed in opposed relationship and connecting tangentially with substantially semi-circular end portions to provide a band having opposed concave surface's.

ALLEN BENJAMIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France Feb. 7, 1921 

